Let states decide their own marijuana future, state legislators tell feds

The National Conference of State Legislatures approved a resolution on Thursday requesting more freedom from the federal government in marijuana policies.

Marijuana – US flag

The resolution urged the government not to intervene in state-level policies including legalization and asked officials “to explicitly allow states to set their own marijuana and hemp policies without federal interference.”

The document, approved by state lawmakers from around the country, asks that the government keep their hands off of states that “are increasingly serving as laboratories for democracy” and allow each state to decide what is best for them.

The NCSL says that it “recognizes that its members have differing views,” but that it’s high time for federal support. The Huffington Post added:

The passage of the resolution represents a strong statement from state lawmakers. It was passed on voice vote by a majority of participating lawmakers from 75 percent of the states represented at the conference. Mick Bullock, director of public affairs for the NCSL, told The Huffington Post that 49 member jurisdictions were represented during the vote. Member jurisdictions include all states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

After a week long legislative summit here in Seattle, the NCSL’s message is clear, and pro-legalization groups are excited about the step forward.

“A majority of Americans support making marijuana legal for adults and even more think states should be able to establish their own marijuana laws without federal intrusion,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a news release.

“This resolution is a strong indication that legislators throughout the nation are not just hearing from but listening to their constituents when it comes to marijuana policy,” O’Keefe said.

At the moment, the Department of Justice has indicated that it won’t enforce federal marijuana laws against businesses or individuals that are in compliance with state laws. This latest, strongest request from state lawmakers calls for a more explicit acceptance of legalization from the federal government.

The new head of the DEA, Chuck Rosenberg, said on Aug. 5 that "heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana."
Big deal, until you consider the fact that his predecessor (drummed out by scandal involving ... "sex parties") foamed at the mouth every time someone even mentioned cannabis. Whether this change from insane-reefer-madness brain-death to common sense signals a coming change in marijuana's classification as a schedule 1 drug or not remains to be seen. less

The new head of the DEA, Chuck Rosenberg, said on Aug. 5 that "heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana."
Big deal, until you consider the fact that his predecessor (drummed out by scandal involving ... more

Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

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<p>
Considered the gold standard of national surveys, the General Social Survey finds for the first time in its survey that Americans are indeed in favor of legal marijuana, and by and ever widening margin. <a href=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/04/majority-of-americans-favor-marijuana-legalization-for-first-time-according-to-the-nations-most-authoritative-survey/ target=new>The Washington Post has a great analysis</a> and here’s the gist of the survey:</p>
<p>“In interviews conducted between March and October of last year -- when the legal marijuana markets in Colorado and Washington were ramping up -- researchers asked 1,687 respondents the following question: "Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal or not?"</p>
<p>“Fifty-two percent said pot should be legalized, 42 percent opposed it, and another 7 percent were undecided. Support is up 9 percentage points from 2012, the last time the survey was conducted.”</p>
<p>Photo: Cannabis grows underneath LED lighting within Solstice Wednesday, February 25, 2015, in Seattle, Washington. </p> less

<p>
Considered the gold standard of national surveys, the General Social Survey finds for the first time in its survey that Americans are indeed in favor of legal marijuana, and by and ever widening margin. ... more

Photo: JORDAN STEAD / SEATTLEPI.COM

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<p><b>Let the common sense reign. <a href=http://www.vox.com/2015/3/3/8143371/cathy-lanier-marijuana target=new>Vox reports</a>:</b></p><p>Washington, DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier Lanier told the American News Women's Club last Wednesday, according to the Daily Beast, "All those [marijuana] arrests do is make people hate us." She added, "Marijuana smokers are not going to attack and kill a cop. They just want to get a bag of chips and relax. Alcohol is a much bigger problem."
</p><p>
The police chief clarified her comments to emphasize that she believes marijuana isn't healthy. "But I'm not policing the city as a mom," she said. "I'm policing it as the police chief — and 70 percent of the public supported this."
</p> less

<p><b>Former president Bill Clinton apologies for war on drugs tactics ...</b></p>From <a href=http://fusion.net/story/46574/wait-did-bill-clinton-just-apologize-to-mexico-for-the-war-on-drugs/ target=new>the FUSION news site</a>: In a recent speech to a roomful of Mexican students, entrepreneurs and other prominent Mexican opinion makers, Clinton apologized that the drug war has funneled cartel activity through Mexican territory.</p><p>
“I wish you had no narco-trafficking, but it’s not really your fault,” Clinton said on Friday. “Basically we did too good of a job of taking the transportation out of the air and water, and so we ran it over land. I apologize for that.”</p>
<p>Photo: Former US president Bill Clinton delivers a speech at the Universidad del Valle de Mexico in Mexico City on February 06, 2015, in the framework of the summit Youth and Productivity organized by the university.</p> less

<p><b>Former president Bill Clinton apologies for war on drugs tactics ...</b></p>From <a href=http://fusion.net/story/46574/wait-did-bill-clinton-just-apologize-to-mexico-for-the-war-on-drugs/ target=new>the ... more

Photo: OMAR TORRES / AFP/Getty Images

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<p><b>Let D.C. have its weed</b></p>
<p>At a meeting of the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Friday Feb. 6, 2015, acting U.S. Drug Czar Michael Botticelli said … “The president, as it relates to the District, I think was very clear that the District should stick to its home rule. As a resident of the District, I might not agree about legalization, but I do agree with our own ability to spend our own money the way that we want to do that.”</p>
<p>Botticelli is expected to be confirmed as the next director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in February 2015.</p> less

<p><b>Let D.C. have its weed</b></p>
<p>At a meeting of the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Friday Feb. 6, 2015, acting U.S. Drug Czar Michael Botticelli said … “The president, as it ... more

Photo: The Washington Post / The Washington Post/Getty Images

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<p>Breaking with his fellow federal employees and hopefuls over at the Department of Justice and DEA, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, said "marijuana can be helpful" for some medical conditions.</p>
<p>And he appeared to stand by that statement, since his office tweeted the same message. The main point here is not just this one person's opinion, but that to subject marijuana to the same standards that "applies to all meds," cannabis would have to be moved from Schedule 1 (dangerous with no medical value) to something down the line that would then allow private and public institutions to grow, refine and experiment with the plant.</p> less

<p>Breaking with his fellow federal employees and hopefuls over at the Department of Justice and DEA, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, said "marijuana can be helpful" for some ... more

Photo: Charles Dharapak / ASSOCIATED PRESS

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<p>On Tuesday, July 8, President Obama was in Denver fooling around downtown when he was asked, "You want a hit, man?"</p>
<p>The surprising thing to us is that a dude smoking marijuana was standing next to the prez.</p> <p>Ah, legalization!</p> less

<p>On Tuesday, July 8, President Obama was in Denver fooling around downtown when he was asked, "You want a hit, man?"</p>
<p>The surprising thing to us is that a dude smoking marijuana was standing next to ... more

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<p>Speaking of legalization ... This happened in Seattle the same day the president was in Denver (July 8) --<a href=http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/07/08/legal-recreational-marijuana-goes-on-sale-for-first-time-in-washington-state/#14194105=0&24866103=0&24883101=0 target=new> First sales of state-licnesed weed.</p></a> less

<p>Speaking of legalization ... This happened in Seattle the same day the president was in Denver (July 8) --<a ... more

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<p>The fourth person to buy legal marijuana in Seattle on July 8 was Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.</p><p><a href=http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/07/08/legal-recreational-marijuana-goes-on-sale-for-first-time-in-washington-state/#14194105=0&24866103=0&24883101=0 target=new>The top prosecutor and attorney for the city said</a> he would use it. Asked what he'd say to kids, he replied: "I would remind them that I’m 58 years old and I enjoy a glass of wine on occasion and I would never encourage kids to do either one — alcohol or marijuana."</p> less

<p>The fourth person to buy legal marijuana in Seattle on July 8 was Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.</p><p><a ... more

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The New York Times has stepped into the legalization debate with a series of columns calling for the end of prohibition of cannabis.</p>
<p><a href=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/27/opinion/sunday/high-time-marijuana-legalization.html target=new>Their opening lines say it all ... </a></p>
<p>"It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. </p><p>It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol.
The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana."</p> less

The New York Times has stepped into the legalization debate with a series of columns calling for the end of prohibition of cannabis.</p>
<p><a ... more

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<p><b>On May 29, 2014, the U.S. House told Department of Justice and DEA to stand down against medical marijuana.</b></p>
<p>House members voted 219 to 189 to add to language to "<a href=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4660/text target=new>H.R. 4660: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015</a>" that says:</p>
<p>"None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana."</p><p>The amendment may not get far, but the U.S. Senate appears likely to vote on a similar amendment to its version of the bill.</p><p> <a href=http://www.denverpost.com/marijuana/ci_25869675/impact-u-s-house-vote-medical-marijuana-enforcement target=new>As the Denver Post reported</a>: "This is a watershed moment in American politics," said Aaron Houston, who has lobbied for pro-marijuana causes in Washington, D.C., for the past decade. "It is the first time that the U.S. House of Representatives in the history of the war on marijuana has voted to support some relaxation of marijuana laws."
</p>
<p>Photo: House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman John Mica (R-FL) holds a fake hand-rolled cigarette and a list of marijuana offenses during a hearing about drug laws in the Rayburn House Office Building May 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. </p> less

<p><b>On May 29, 2014, the U.S. House told Department of Justice and DEA to stand down against medical marijuana.</b></p>
<p>House members voted 219 to 189 to add to language to "<a ... more

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

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<p>Maryland's legislature passed it's own <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/04/07/maryland-makes-possessing-marijuana-equivalent-to-traffic-ticket/" target="new">decriminalization of marijuana law this month</a>.</p><p>And Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a news release that he'll sign the bill into law:</p>
<p>“With more effective policing and more widely available drug treatment, together in Maryland, we have driven violent crime down to its lowest levels in 30 years. This progress has been hard-won and much remains to be done. Recent spikes in homicides and heroin overdose deaths underscore the life-saving urgency of the work before us.</p>
<p>“The General Assembly has decided after much consideration — and with clear majorities in both Chambers — to send to my desk a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and I plan to sign it.</p>
<p>“As a matter of judicial economy and prosecutorial discretion, few if any defendants go to prison for a first or even a second offense of marijuana possession in Maryland. Desuetude is often a precursor of reform. </p>
<p>“As a young prosecutor, I once thought that decriminalizing the possession of marijuana might undermine the Public Will necessary to combat drug violence and improve public safety. I now think that decriminalizing possession of marijuana is an acknowledgement of the low priority that our courts, our prosecutors, our police, and the vast majority of citizens already attach to this transgression of public order and public health. Such an acknowledgment in law might even lead to a greater focus on far more serious threats to public safety and the lives of our citizens.”</p>
<p>Photo: Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks with reporters in his office inside the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Md., Monday, April 7, 2014.</p> less

<p>Washington D.C. Council <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/03/04/d-c-city-council-decriminalizes-marijuana-possession/" target="new">passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana</a> last month and D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (pictured with DC City Council member Marion Barry, left) signed the legislation nearly into law on March 31 ... The House of Reps have to approve the council's actions (no word on when).</p>
<p>Essentially, the bill turns a criminal offense into a civil offense that’ll cost $25 bucks if you get charged.</p> <p>Gray has since lost his mayoral seat in the district's primary ... see next slide.</p> less

<p>Washington D.C. Council <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/03/04/d-c-city-council-decriminalizes-marijuana-possession/" target="new">passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana</a> last month and ... more

Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

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<p>Muriel Bowser beat D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray in the district's Democratic primary earlier this month, most likely meaning she'll be the next mayor.</p><p>But don't expect her to attack the new decriminalization bill since she voted for the measure as a council member.</p>
<p>Photo: D.C. mayoral candidate and council member Muriel Bowser.</p> less

<p>Muriel Bowser beat D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray in the district's Democratic primary earlier this month, most likely meaning she'll be the next mayor.</p><p>But don't expect her to attack the new ... more

Photo: Cliff Owen / AP

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<p>U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said his office would be willing to work with congress on the question of rescheduling marijuana from the worst category down to some lesser category that accounts for its potential in medicine as well as its moderate negative effects when compared to alcohol, let alone cocaine and heroin.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/eric-holder-reschedule-marijuana_n_5092010.html" target="new">As the Huffington Post reported</a>: "We'd be more than glad to work with Congress if there is a desire to look at and reexamine how the drug is scheduled, as I said there is a great degree of expertise that exists in Congress," Holder said during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. "It is something that ultimately Congress would have to change, and I think that our administration would be glad to work with Congress if such a proposal were made."</p><p>He has been called out by some officials with the point that his office along with the DEA and health department could reschedule pot on their own.</p>
<p>Frequently called on the carpet to defend the DOJ's stance on marijuana, Holder does say the feds enforce as much as they can of the laws against weed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/eric-holder-marijuana-debate-105505.html" target="new">One congressman asked him at a hearing on Tuesday, as reported by Politico</a>: “I’m asking you. You’re the attorney general of the United States … I’m asking why you fail to enforce the laws of the land, Attorney General.”</p>
<p>“Your premise is wrong. We are enforcing the laws of the land,” Holder said. “The question I have for you which you haven’t answered is: Would you have us prosecute every marijuana possession case that exists in the United States of America? Would you have us do that?”</p>
<p>“When you actually answer my colleagues’ questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer yours,” Smith replied.
“I’ll take that as a ‘no,’” Holder shot back.</p>
<p>Photo: Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on the oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 8, 2014.</p> less

<p>U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said his office would be willing to work with congress on the question of rescheduling marijuana from the worst category down to some lesser category that accounts for ... more

Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

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<p>With legal pot making headway across the nation ... well recreational in Washington, Colorado and medical in 21 other jurisdictions ... what happens to all that money? Does it get moved around as cash from one old mattress to another?</p><p>Well, <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/02/14/feds-issue-banking-rules-to-allow-banking-for-legal-marijuana-businesses/#20392101=0" target="new">in February the feds come out with a list of guidelines it believes should allow banks to do business with these tightly controlled marijuana businesses</a>."</p><p>“Now that some states have elected to legalize and regulate the marijuana trade, FinCEN seeks to move from the shadows the historically covert financial operations of marijuana businesses,” noted FinCEN Director Jennifer Shasky Calvery in a news release. “Our guidance provides financial institutions with clarity on what they must do if they are going to provide financial services to marijuana businesses and what reporting will assist law enforcement.”
</p> less

<p>With legal pot making headway across the nation ... well recreational in Washington, Colorado and medical in 21 other jurisdictions ... what happens to all that money? Does it get moved around as cash from ... more

Photo: Gary Morrison / Getty Images

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<p><a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2013/08/05/uruguay-legalization-and-other-marijuana-acts-around-the-u-s-world/#13522105=0&14194103=0&14671101=0" target="new">After voting to create a legal recreational marijuana market</a>, Uruguay as also said it will allow prisoners to use medical pot.</p><p>The Associated Press reports:</p><p>Prisoners in the jails of Uruguay will be able to use marijuana if a doctor says it will benefit their health.</p>
<p>Uruguay's drug czar Julio Calzada told The Associated Press on Tuesday that any inmates with doctors' orders will be prescribed marijuana to their improve physical or mental health.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, social development minister Daniel Olesker told a medical marijuana symposium in Montevideo that medicinal pot will be incorporated into the country's public health system, alongside acupuncture and homeopathic remedies.</p>
<p>Calzada says his agency needs two more weeks to complete the regulations for the government's legal marijuana market, which he now expects to issue between April 20 and 25. He says the actual rollout won't be until the end of the year.</p> less

<p><a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2013/08/05/uruguay-legalization-and-other-marijuana-acts-around-the-u-s-world/#13522105=0&14194103=0&14671101=0" target="new">After voting to create a legal ... more

Photo: Matilde Campodonico, AP

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In August 2013: The U.S. Department of Justice said that it will not challenge Washington’s and Colorado’s legal marijuana laws ranged from stunned amazement, relief and caution to dire warnings of the potential harm to society from legal pot. less

In August 2013: The U.S. Department of Justice said that it will not challenge Washington’s and Colorado’s legal marijuana laws ranged from stunned amazement, relief and caution to dire warnings of the ... more

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Testing ... Testing ... Scientists (military and otherwise) have been pretty interested in testing the effects of marijuana throughout the decades, and now Washington and Colorado are entering a whole new kind of marijuana experiment -- Legalization in these two states will certainly go down in the history books as a watershed moment in our culture's love/hate relationship with the demon weed ... er, cannabis.
In this gallery, we explore other surprising and historical marijuana moments in America (not chronological).
About the photo: Research scientist Dr. Reese T. Jones adjusts electodes monitoring a volunteer's brain response to sound during experiment at Langley-Porter Institute using controlled dosage of marijuana. (Photo by Ralph Crane//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images) less

Testing ... Testing ... Scientists (military and otherwise) have been pretty interested in testing the effects of marijuana throughout the decades, and now Washington and Colorado are entering a whole new kind ... more

Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

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First, a tip of the hat to the big, surprising, mega-marijuana event in Seattle (the world): Hempfest.
Pictured: Rainy Collins holds up a sign during Seattle's Hempfest pro marijuana gathering at Myrtle Edwards Park on the Seattle waterfront on Friday, August 17, 2012. less

First, a tip of the hat to the big, surprising, mega-marijuana event in Seattle (the world): Hempfest.
Pictured: Rainy Collins holds up a sign during Seattle's Hempfest pro marijuana gathering at Myrtle ... more

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One of the big surprises in marijuana history has to be the moment that the majority of Americans said, What the heck, make it legal.
Gallup has been polling the marijuana legalization question for 40 years but found majority support for the first time in 2011, with 50 percent of voters in favor and just 46 percent opposed. Rasmussen reports that 56 percent support legalization. less

One of the big surprises in marijuana history has to be the moment that the majority of Americans said, What the heck, make it legal.
Gallup has been polling the marijuana legalization question for 40 years ... more

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Clearly that momentum was one of the forces that lifted both Initiative 502 here and Amendment 64 in Colorado onto the winner's podium in the 2012 elections.
Pictured is Alison Holcomb, Campaign Director for New Approach Washington and lead architect of I-502 less

Clearly that momentum was one of the forces that lifted both Initiative 502 here and Amendment 64 in Colorado onto the winner's podium in the 2012 elections.
Pictured is Alison Holcomb, Campaign Director ... more

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In 1992, then Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, who was also the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a television interview:
''When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and didn't like it. I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again.''
That statement - ''I didn't inhale'' - is another surprising moment, mostly because it was laughably unbelievable. But, no one really cared one way or another and that should have been a sign to politicians then that attitudes toward pot were changing. less

In 1992, then Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, who was also the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a television interview:
''When I was in England, I experimented with ... more

Photo: ISC Archives via Getty Images

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President Obama didn't go in for that particular BS. Partly because he had already written about it, and so admitted it in 2006: ''When I was a kid, I inhaled. That was the point.''
The photo is of Obama in 1990 in the office of The Harvard Law Review after being named President of The Harvard Law Review. less

President Obama didn't go in for that particular BS. Partly because he had already written about it, and so admitted it in 2006: ''When I was a kid, I inhaled. That was the point.''
The photo is of Obama ... more

Photo: Boston Globe via Getty Images

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President Obama's past and his apparent desire to leave marijuana users alone led many to be surprised when federal agents began cracking down hard on medical marijuana growers and dispensaries. The feds said the arrested were doing more with their pot and money than serving medical patients.
Photo: U.S. marshals stand at the entrance of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, Calif., in 2012. The federal agents raided the medical marijuana training school at the heart of California's pot legalization movement.
Obama tried to clarify the issue in an interview with the Rolling Stone in April: ''The only tension that's come up – and this gets hyped up a lot – is a murky area where you have large-scale, commercial operations that may supply medical marijuana users, but in some cases may also be supplying recreational users. In that situation, we put the Justice Department in a very difficult place if we're telling them, ‘This is supposed to be against the law, but we want you to turn the other way.’ That's not something we're going to do.'' less

President Obama's past and his apparent desire to leave marijuana users alone led many to be surprised when federal agents began cracking down hard on medical marijuana growers and dispensaries. The feds said ... more

Photo: AP

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There are lots and lots of movies about marijuana and with marijuana moments. We've just picked a few that occurred in movies NOT about marijuana and scattered them throughout this gallery. After all, our cultural understanding and attitudes about marijuana must be influenced by our mass-culture representations of it.
One early movie with an overt marijuana moment was ''Easy Rider.''
Pictured is Dennis Hopper (Billy), Peter Fonda (Wyatt), wearing a stars-and-stripes helmet, with Jack Nicholson (George Hanson) wearing a gold football helmet, on the back of Fonda's motorcycle.
Wyatt and Billy introduce George to marijuana. George is an alcoholic but still has reservations about marijuana (''It leads to harder stuff,'' and ''I don't want to get hooked''), but he went for it anyway. less

There are lots and lots of movies about marijuana and with marijuana moments. We've just picked a few that occurred in movies NOT about marijuana and scattered them throughout this gallery. After all, our ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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A semi-surprising marijuana moment was when Bill Murray gets Chevy Chase to give it a try in ''Caddyshack" in 1980.

A semi-surprising marijuana moment was when Bill Murray gets Chevy Chase to give it a try in ''Caddyshack" in 1980.

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That beat poet Allen Ginsberg was into marijuana surprised no one, but that he was able to pull off several pro-pot rallies - out in the open! - surprised and alarmed some citizens.
One of those pro-marijuana marches took place outside the Women's House of Detention on Sixth Avenue in lower Manhattan on Jan. 10, 1965. less

That beat poet Allen Ginsberg was into marijuana surprised no one, but that he was able to pull off several pro-pot rallies - out in the open! - surprised and alarmed some citizens.
One of those ... more

Photo: Redferns/Getty Images

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Here's a poster with an audacious Ginsberg quote: ''The actual experience of the smoked herb has been clouded by a fog of unrespectability by the unthinking, unknowledgable few who have not smoked themselves and yet insist upon setting themselves up as centres of propaganda about the said experience.'' (Photo by S O'Meara/Getty Images) less

Here's a poster with an audacious Ginsberg quote: ''The actual experience of the smoked herb has been clouded by a fog of unrespectability by the unthinking, unknowledgable few who have not smoked themselves ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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A surprising marijuana court win:
Robert Randall, called by some ''the Rosa Parks of the medical-marijuana movement,'' made legal and medical history in 1976 when he successfully sued the U.S government for access to cannabis, the only remedy that controlled his glaucoma.
The Huffington Post story (13 Key Moments In Marijuana History) reported: ''This landmark verdict compelled the Food and Drug Administration to establish a 'Compassionate IND [Investigational New Drug] Program,' which continues to distribute government-grown marijuana to a handful of medical necessity patients - while U.S. officials allege that cannabis lacks therapeutic value.''
Here's Randall at home smoking prescription marijuana to counter effects of glaucoma. less

A surprising marijuana court win:
Robert Randall, called by some ''the Rosa Parks of the medical-marijuana movement,'' made legal and medical history in 1976 when he successfully sued the U.S government for ... more

Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

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Another watershed marijuana moment was the passage of Proposition 215 in California.
That ''great leap forward'' came in 1996, when voters shocked the political and medical establishments by passing the proposition authorizing doctors to approve marijuana use by patients and not just for a shortlist of specified diseases, but also for "any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.
Pictured: A woman receives marijuana from the Cannabis Buyers Club on Dec. 26, 1996 in Los Angeles. less

Another watershed marijuana moment was the passage of Proposition 215 in California.
That ''great leap forward'' came in 1996, when voters shocked the political and medical establishments by passing the ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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There have been many political and religious conservatives who have surprised us with their stance on marijuana.
Most recently, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), shown above, said this past Sunday: “Look, the last two presidents (Obama and George Bush) could conceivably have been put in jail for their drug use ... Look what would have happened. It would have ruined their lives. They got lucky. But a lot of poor kids, particularly in the inner city, don’t get lucky. They don’t have good attorneys. They go to jail for these things. And I think it’s a big mistake.” less

There have been many political and religious conservatives who have surprised us with their stance on marijuana.
Most recently, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), shown above, said this past Sunday: “Look, the ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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Barry Goldwater, called ''Mr. Conservative'' during his life and credited with sparking the resurgence of the conservative political movement in the 1960s, endorsed Arizona’s first effort at legalizing medical marijuana in 1996.
Side note: Voters approved the 1996 medical marijuana law and did it again in 1998, but the laws were never enacted due to some technicality or other. Then in 2002, voters rejected a sweeping initiative that would have decriminalized possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana for any user and required state police to hand out the drug to seriously ill people. less

Barry Goldwater, called ''Mr. Conservative'' during his life and credited with sparking the resurgence of the conservative political movement in the 1960s, endorsed Arizona’s first effort at legalizing ... more

Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image

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Brief movie intermission (go ahead and grab some popcorn ...):
In ''American Beauty,'' Kevin Spacey's character is miserable and depressed and all closed up inside until he starts smoking marijuana and working out. He becomes happy and independent minded. He gets shot in the head in the end, but not because of the pot.
That seemed surprising. In a movie not specifically about stoners or pot-positive culture, the fairly positive message about marijuana was unique. less

Brief movie intermission (go ahead and grab some popcorn ...):
In ''American Beauty,'' Kevin Spacey's character is miserable and depressed and all closed up inside until he starts smoking marijuana and ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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The two bookends here, Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari, were the tempters - one with marijuana and the other with .... well, you remember the movie. That's Thora Birch in the center. We disapprove of her decision to run off and live with a dealer! She was just a minor, after all. less

The two bookends here, Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari, were the tempters - one with marijuana and the other with .... well, you remember the movie. That's Thora Birch in the center. We disapprove of her decision ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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Back to politics:
Conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck, shown here near the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City in 2011, said - ''I think it's about time we legalize marijuana. ... We either put people who are smoking marijuana behind bars or we legalize it, but this little game we are playing in the middle is not helping us.''
Beck was one of many conservatives in recent years to support legalization in a backhanded, sidedoor sort of way. Others were Rick Perry, Bill O’Reilly and Tea Party funder David Koch. less

Back to politics:
Conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck, shown here near the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City in 2011, said - ''I think it's about time we legalize marijuana. ... We either put people who ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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The Rev. Pat Robertson is slightly different than the previously mentioned conservatives for coming straight out against the war on drugs.
The New York Times reported him saying in March 2012:
''I just think it's shocking how many of these young people wind up in prison and they get turned into hardcore criminals because they had a possession of a very small amount of a controlled substance'' Robertson said on his show March 1. ''The whole thing is crazy. We've said, 'Well, we're conservatives, we're tough on crime.' That's baloney.
''I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol,'' Robertson told the Times. ''If people can go into a liquor store and buy a bottle of alcohol and drink it at home legally, then why do we say that the use of this other substance is somehow criminal?''
He's shown here talking with his son Tim during a tribute slide show prior to the funeral of Rev. Jerry Falwell at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in 2007 in Lynchburg, Virginia. less

The Rev. Pat Robertson is slightly different than the previously mentioned conservatives for coming straight out against the war on drugs.
The New York Times reported him saying in March 2012:
''I just ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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Movie break:
In ''Poltergeist,'' Craig Nelson and JoBeth Williams talk about their proposed three-meter-high diving board during a marijuana moment apparently designed to show them as open minded, albeit conservative (note the cover of the book), money-grubbing suburbanites. less

Movie break:
In ''Poltergeist,'' Craig Nelson and JoBeth Williams talk about their proposed three-meter-high diving board during a marijuana moment apparently designed to show them as open minded, albeit ... more

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... they laugh and laugh and mime jumping off the board and no trouble comes from the marijuana. The only trouble they have are the dead people buried under the house.

... they laugh and laugh and mime jumping off the board and no trouble comes from the marijuana. The only trouble they have are the dead people buried under the house.

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In the realm of science:
Raphael Mechoulam and his colleague Yechiel Gaoni at the Weizmann Institute of Science created a momentous marijuana moment in the 1960s when they isolated, analyzed and synthesized the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Later, Professor Mechoulam deciphered the cannabinoids native to the brain. less

In the realm of science:
Raphael Mechoulam and his colleague Yechiel Gaoni at the Weizmann Institute of Science created a momentous marijuana moment in the 1960s when they isolated, analyzed and synthesized ... more

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Patent #6,630,507
Despite one arm of the federal government saying marijuana has no medicinal value and should remain illegal, another arm of said government awarded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services a patent titled "Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants" in October 2003. less

Patent #6,630,507
Despite one arm of the federal government saying marijuana has no medicinal value and should remain illegal, another arm of said government awarded the U.S. Department of Health and Human ... more

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On to the local advocates of legalizing marijuana - many of whom are surprising backers since they are on the side of prosecution and law enforcement.
But first up is Seattle travel guru Rick Steves. Locally we weren’t too surprised that he put his name, company and reputation on the line to back marijuana legalization, but nationally people were sort of struck by it. In one interview last year, the Huffington Post was pretty curious about why a travel writer and successful businessman would stick his neck out for pot.
Steves said: ''I got involved because I am a rare celebrity that's got the balls to speak out on this truth issue. A lot of people are just afraid that it's going affect their business and so I just think, I'm lucky, I don't need to be elected. I can't be fired.'' less

On to the local advocates of legalizing marijuana - many of whom are surprising backers since they are on the side of prosecution and law enforcement.
But first up is Seattle travel guru Rick Steves. ... more

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Pete Holmes, currently employed as the attorney for the city of Seattle and charged with the duty of prosecuting lawbreakers ... was one of I-502's sponsors. That was after he had already made it clear that he would follow the will of Seattle voters and not prosecute any misdemeanor marijuana possession cases
“With regulation of production and sales and aggressive prosecution of marijuana DUIs, we can focus our limited resources on fighting marijuana-related problems where they have direct negative impacts on our communities and not on throwing people in jail for using a substance that isn't more dangerous than alcohol,” he said on the I-502 campaign page. less

Pete Holmes, currently employed as the attorney for the city of Seattle and charged with the duty of prosecuting lawbreakers ... was one of I-502's sponsors. That was after he had already made it clear that he ... more

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Quick movie break:
We all knew that some soldiers in the Vietnam War used marijuana ... but Oliver Stone's ''Platoon'' pushed his positive notions about marijuana into the foreground of his movie about the terrors of that war. less

Quick movie break:
We all knew that some soldiers in the Vietnam War used marijuana ... but Oliver Stone's ''Platoon'' pushed his positive notions about marijuana into the foreground of his movie about the ... more

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Live round.

Live round.

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Another surprising backer of legalizing marijuana in Washington has to be former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John Mckay.
Appointed by former conservative president George Bush, McKay became a sponsor of I-502, ''because marijuana prohibition has failed and Congress and the legislature must act to eliminate the danger to public safety posed by the enormous American black market. Unless states act to regulate, control and decriminalize most uses of marijuana, Congress will continue to ignore the law enforcement danger and assert federal criminal laws that ill serve the public,'' he said on the I-502 campaign site. less

Another surprising backer of legalizing marijuana in Washington has to be former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John Mckay.
Appointed by former conservative president George Bush, ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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Bizarre movie marijuana moment: In ''Transformers 2,'' this mother gets out of control because of a pot brownie.

Bizarre movie marijuana moment: In ''Transformers 2,'' this mother gets out of control because of a pot brownie.

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There are more backers of legal marijuana that are surprising given their background, it seems to us, but we'll end with former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper.
Stamper was responsible for Seattle's response to the protests of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which blew up in just about every bad way it could have (though thankfully no one died) and that eventually led to his resignation.
From there, Stamper wrote a book called ''Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing.''
And, he not only backed I-502 but is also an advisory board member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). less

There are more backers of legal marijuana that are surprising given their background, it seems to us, but we'll end with former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper.
Stamper was responsible for Seattle's ... more

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We close out with a very surprisingly busy poster announcing the 1967 rally for cannabis in Hyde Park, London.

We close out with a very surprisingly busy poster announcing the 1967 rally for cannabis in Hyde Park, London.

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Let states decide their own marijuana future, state legislators tell feds